Spring is here, and with it comes endless possibilities for exploring the Monadnock region’s natural wonders. Quiet hiking trails, tranquil waters, and forested rail trails are primed for hiking, paddling, and biking. Ephemeral wildflowers bloom in quick succession, forming a carpet of color if you know where to look, and songbirds migrate through in fast pulses, adding a vibrant soundtrack to our time outdoors. The region’s abundant woodlands transform miraculously from brown to green, setting the stage for the following season. But many don’t stop to notice these seemingly ordinary — but truly extraordinary — wonders just outside our doorsteps. Visitors to the region and residents alike might not know where to go, and many of us struggle to find time to enjoy nature’s many benefits.
So, where to go, and what to do with our limited, precious time, and how to balance the needs for mental, physical, and spiritual health and wellness? These questions are central to a new book I wrote, along with Ignacio Oreamuno, titled “MicroExploring the SuperSanctuary: 15 Mindful Meanders in New Hampshire’s Monadnock Region.” As fathers, guides, and avid nature lovers living in the region, we honed this practice over many years of exploring our natural surroundings — alone, with our families, and with fellow explorers — slowly unraveling hidden secrets. The more we wandered close to home, the more we felt it: this was a new kind of exploration. Closer, slower, quieter. It didn’t have a name, so we gave it one: MicroExploring.
“MicroExploring the SuperSanctuary” is a guidebook for those seeking wonder rather than agenda. It’s not about conquering the highest peaks; it’s about noticing what’s underfoot, overhead, and all around you. Do you really have to hike Monadnock to experience grandeur? Not when Thumb Mountain or Kulish Ledges are within reach. And, have you heard of places like Elmwood Junction, the Welch Farm, Robb Reservoir, or the Bruce Edes Forest? This special corner of the Monadnock region contains not only these treasures but so many other conserved gems, many of which provide short and gentle pathways, rich with natural spectacles, cultural history, and alive with stories. And the great thing about it is that you don’t need a lot of time to find wonder and discover joy in nature’s many treasures. The answers are all around us in seemingly ordinary places.
The SuperSanctuary, in the words of author Sy Montgomery, is the “glittering conservation gem of southwest New Hampshire.” It describes the 44,000-acre (and growing) conserved landscape across nine different towns, centered in Hancock and is the realized dream of Meade Cadot, naturalist emeritus and former director of the Harris Center for Conservation Education. Meade’s original motivation was to provide “room to roam” for wide-ranging mammals like moose, bobcat, and black bear. As it turns out, humans need it, too. Susie Spikol’s foreword honors the legacy of land protection started by Meade and Harris Center founder Eleanor Briggs, both of whom are major supporters and inspirations of this book project from its own dream phase.
“MicroExploring the SuperSanctuary” is a tribute to the SuperSanctuary and to the many conservation groups and individuals who steward these special landscapes. Its goal is to inspire others to fall in love with these places, too, and to facilitate deep connections between people and the land that sustains us all. In turn, in the words of Senegalese forester, Baba Dioum: “In the end we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.”
With dozens of attractive photographs and easy-to-use maps, this compact guidebook also contains wellness tips for those seeking spiritual balance in their outdoor pursuits. Each of the fifteen major walks highlighted here is paired with unique ‘MicroExploring Practices’ — philosophical guidelines and practical considerations for enjoying time in nature more.
MicroExploring is for everyone, including kids, and there are trails for every level of experience featured in the book — fully accessible pathways to challenging ridgeline hikes, bike routes, and even a paddle. All of these places encourage public access, are free of charge to use, intentionally stewarded, and have ample parking.
- Do you know which mountain is the site of the world’s first commercial wind farm? Hint: this place also plays a key role in the cultivation of the highbush blueberry and has the country’s longest high-elevation accessible trail system!
- Have you explored a thriving Atlantic white cedar forest, which supports rare plants and wildlife species more commonly found in northern New Hampshire?
- Have you experienced the contemplative solitude of a place where a family of freed black people struggled to farm over 200 years ago and which later became a hub of agricultural tourism in its earliest days?
- Do you know where to go to seek raptors streaming by at eye level during springtime?
- Can you find a historic sheep tunnel lined with granite stones that runs underneath a now-defunct rail line?
- Have you paddled in a place where moose still wander (but where you’re more likely to find otters if you’re patient and quiet)?
- Where are the best birding spots and most treasured views in the Monadnock Region?
“MicroExploring the SuperSanctuary” reveals some of the extraordinary stories, viewpoints, and natural spectacles of the SuperSanctuary, and it provides readers with the tools to discover their own. This book is a pathway to discovery, wonder, and joy. We hope you’ll use it to make a practice of immersion in nature this spring, wherever you are, whenever you need it.
Join Phil and Ignacio at The Toadstool Bookshop in Peterborough for a book talk, followed by a MicroExploration of downtown Peterborough, at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 9.
Phil Brown is bird conservation director and land specialist for the Harris Center for Conservation Education. He also guides bird and nature tours for The Dreamcatchers, both in Costa Rica and closer to home in the Monadnock Region. Phil recently co-authored MicroExploring the SuperSanctuary, which is available at The Toadstool Bookshop, The Harris Center, and elsewhere. He lives in Hancock with his family.